![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU_s2KTXBLFfUke9Km_qwkzB_qJjvIkxGeAeqgxK-WCIJDeNNuN402g_UemKfwXkiVAzeycIOeAvgUbyKPPWgTV6O9kRW6GthSR0eCna-q9D6Kqp3yT_ihkm9587QW7bfo4DUq7oLFu1gV/s200/almostunschoolers+2301.jpg)
You might be wondering why a person would bother making their own crayons, at a time of year when crayons cost almost nothing. Well, the answer is fairly simple. I have a three year old, who likes to color everything purple, and store clerks tend to get a little testy when you try to purchase just one color out crayon boxes. So, I thought maybe I could make a set of chunky purple crayons, instead.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgefRG433kQRXX-SGE2Ml0aDuxcZJEeOP_SlXfYNDi_xnSpfp9JOuzc6qF2i3XbSa4202YBrX1POc6vUqdgnMXaLnVIOBy-qW7mYBG9uN3p46isRhQWOnppDnBDkoqmoA3HJ4f0X5o03Vkw/s200/almostunschoolers.jpg)
I cut up one bar of Jergens, and one bar of wax, into a tinfoil lined spring form pan, that I like to use for solar cooking. I added ten or so drops of red food coloring, and about the same number of blue, covered the lot, and popped it into the solar oven.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQmo6U7blWPBkT9ZQbOX8F7qXPuEUoVNEnUFMMLiMAda-NxB2zcXdszI3phhyphenhyphenfZphBsgM4ogFp6d2HxLQ2ucIGGZsWQ5of_UktidSObW5zQGWnc60r0zhqUwFMKzkL7PmQBCsdJQRJHdau/s200/almostunschoolers+2281.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVXr7AXKVGxDk8nnENF8eU6w_1gzd_OYnwowfDvrJF-zD02_2Occnhqhiskikhjz7T7fCjahkftqwOBwmRmhphgKiPLOfic2S69q-BqbxnWxY4VoL1v7HJUQ_XCDeTIELqvS_QsNEAv3Os/s200/almostunschoolers+2282.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVQmJfH2-AHlIt2bxQ_Thd7cxH_UlWdrp0zQTyFdCJumYXt9GeYEIN5JRBlDDB51sqt5LbbZPJWMPVLlnpxOVqhpVQoefxJt9pzJtRE-wyp6PKNkMGQkY831y4QE8-GDDzYNcSYvjKyerR/s200/almostunschoolers+2284.jpg)
After, a day of stirring, and repositioning the oven, to follow the sun, I still wasn't totally satisfied with the result. The soap hadn't mixed very well with the wax, and the pan turned out to be a little large, so my "crayon" was a somewhat thinner than I wanted.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6y_R8ET00V1Js05YuEHbGUxEtDeCm9V7tt9a20PeRCcghOhIeH-iozDUkWooYZZT0yDy14UsAqh6HK84eKpjFBz9ix5VcNrWOw-0S1dBJAc-y5jzo4bQhIc6c1pTxIzXV3cOHqKf5FPyG/s200/almostunschoolers+2294.jpg)
I transferred the partially hardened mess to a mini loaf pan, and placed it into the oven on low heat, until it was remelted (about 1/2 hour). The soap still did not mix very well, but the crayon matter was thicker.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XIa1pxaXCIgmqA2ot-ns_UAa7qRBlj-iIRl50Epskx0ZfCH-k93_UX8MtBFPdKp9EWPU_iGUXOtJIh8CSbkTTWH4iKCzYv8c0A5Ohv6d9draACnSD0d8PzIb-Y7b82vD7bSXGhWHERYI/s200/almostunschoolers+2297.jpg)
I let it cool a little, and then cut it into strips, which I removed from the pan while still warm, so I could roll them a bit in my hands, to soften the edges.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKPYXEAaJZTWW44G0aeNT6yCnH9GeUg2Rvl-WuUEsVYzrYZxrUEw00DXT2G7_fZkQBgRnNIFmKr6x96sOEfH1eXeRRLdqXYYBI4a4eBBuaAQPrQFSR4VmAUtEP0Uh0ZMW2WBa9dbY4JqqF/s200/almostunschoolers+2298.jpg)
They look somewhat odd, but they color surprisingly well. When these are all used up, I think I'll try a batch without the soap to see what the difference is. In the meantime, I ought to have a pretty happy three year old, and a lot of purple pictures.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJJKzNL8UNfoSlO0hIpnh7XKeNSWjYQ3hwdAFKf5BH1bgHNcPxy16Tft7AvuYpX4cSIEePJZM_zv9_4HK3DMdEPpCxfI5RD-M2GlFp3aAowePoWoGP187EmSXi4UqRDVBlD7i-ax00QxQS/s200/almostunschoolers+2302.jpg)
It's great to be a homeschooler.
1 comment:
lol your post is hilarious! thanks for showing us how you made the purple crayons... i love experimenting
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